How to set up a Portable Antiquities Scheme: a guide for heritage professionals abroad

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, believes the Portable Antiquities Scheme “is envied the world over“. Not enough for any country to have ever copied it I think. However, in case any are thinking of doing so they should be aware of some basic realities. Well one actually. In Britain, doing without regulation and promoting a voluntary system for 15 years has preserved the overall situation of ADWIM – “avoidable depletion with inadequate mitigation”. I believe Neil MacGregor could not disagree that that is indeed an accurate description and any wannabe overseas PAS-cloner should take heed.

However, if any foreign heritage professionals are thinking of going down the British route (which I sincerely doubt) they would also need to consider how they could persuade their taxpaying and stakeholding public that overall “Avoidable Depletion with Inadequate Mitigation” is fine – and both preferable and more effective than statutory regulation. As to that task, they would clearly be well advised to emulate the way Britain has done just that (not willingly but forced to by the lack of legislation – but successfully nevertheless). It involves some actions and inactions they might not be too keen on from the point of view of archaeological ethics (just as Britain’s archaeologists may not be) so I’ve drawn up a wall chart showing what they must say and not say. Here it is -

4 comments

A vey good illustration. It clearly shows that ‘most archaeologists and Heritage professionals’ don’t actually put any priority to the matter as was the case in the series where you interviewed high profile archaeologists and heritage professionals and NOT ONE responded to the question as to what was the biggest threat to archaeology with the response ‘Metal Detecting’. It just doesn’t feature on their radar.

It’s actually a very good illustration that the flow chart is right, most British archaeologists and heritage professionals don’t speak out. In public. Thank you for pointing it out.

(Please note though, this space is ABOUT artefact hunters, not FOR them. It’s a Conservation organisation so unless a detectorist is here to argue for statutory controls he is unlikely to be given a platform. It would make no sense.)

If your employers consider your flow charts are good then bully for you.
We on the other hand are untrained members of the public exposing a scandalous loss of national cultural knowledge because the Government won’t – and receiving no pay but lots of grief for so doing – so we won’t be losing any sleep about you telling us we need to go on a course.